When You Sell Your House Should You Clean It?

Preparing your home for viewing and sale is an essential part of the process. But it also takes time and effort. One key question sellers deliberate is how much cleaning to undertake when showcasing their property. Should you just tidy up before viewings, or embark on a deep clean of each room? Factors like your time, budget and completion timeline will dictate the ideal cleaning strategy. This article will examine the benefits of cleaning for sales, when to clean, and effective methods for presenting an immaculate home.

Why Cleaning Maximises Your Sale Price

Let’s first understand why cleaning is so pivotal when selling. While owners know their home’s Faults intimately, buyers will notice any grime, clutter and defects immediately. Their impression of the property can be tainted if maintenance and cleanliness are sub-par, and they may lower offers accordingly.

Thorough cleaning removes those negative perceptions. Tidy rooms with gleaming surfaces signal the home has been well cared for. It shows pride of ownership and that issues aren’t being concealed. An immaculate property attracts higher prices, faster sales, and avoids haggling over cleaning requests pre-completion.

When to Clean During the Sales Process

Ideally, you should clean thoroughly at two key stages:

1. Before viewings commence – Presenting the property in its best light maximises interest from the outset.
2. Just before completion day – Leave the home in “show home” condition to satisfy buyers on arrival.

Cleaning only when buyers request it leaves a poor impression. Last-minute scrambles are stressful. Build deep cleans proactively into your timeline around viewings and completion day.

preprocess viewings, tidy and remove clutter each day. On the completion day timeline, you want any pre-move-in cleaning to be minor. Handing over an immaculate, visitor-ready home is the goal.

DIY Cleaning Tips Before Viewings

When preparing for the first open house or viewer visits, here are some effective DIY tips:

• Declutter ruthlessly – hide away clutter in cupboards and storage.
• Clean kitchen and bathrooms meticulously including appliances, cabinets, sinks, and showers.
• Vacuum carpets and mop hard floors thoroughly.
• Clean windows, mirrors, and light fittings so they sparkle.
• Remove pet hair, odours and mess completely.
• Clear driveways, lawns and gardens of leaves, weeds and debris.
• Dust and polish furniture, ledges, and skirting boards.
• Open blinds/curtains maximally for light and airiness.
• Remove outdated wallpaper and hang neutral prints.
• Fix any damage like cracked tiles, torn screens, or dripping taps.

This checklist ensures every room and space looks its absolute best for potential buyers walking through.

Pre-Completion Deep Cleaning Services

In the days leading up to completion, consider hiring professional cleaners to give the property an even deeper, rigorously clean finish. These services include:

• Intensive carpet steam cleaning for complete freshness.
• Scrubbing kitchens and bathrooms with industrial-strength products.
• Washing windows, walls, blinds, and curtains to remove residues.
• Comprehensive dusting and wiping in every corner.
• Polishing hard floors to a reflective shine.
• Cleaning lint from radiators and vents.
• Removing grease and grime from ovens/hobs.
• Descaling bathroom tile grout.
• Cleaning out garages, patios, driveways.

This professional treatment eliminates any remnants of dirt and wear and tear. Handing over a pristine property is the ultimate goodwill gesture.

Personal Belongings and Furniture

Forget cleaning around your clutter! Part of preparing the house is decluttering completely, so buyers see it as a spacious blank canvas. This means:

• Removing bulky furniture to create a sense of space.
• Packing away personal photos, mementoes and collections.
• Editing down children’s toys and paraphernalia.
• Storing excess books, media and paperwork out of sight.
• Emptying cupboards and shelves of non-essentials.
• Discarding unused appliances, tools, and broken items.

Take the time to personally remove items of sentimental value too. Ultimately, you want the property to look spacious, tidy and immaculately clean for optimum buyer appeal.

Conclusion

Performing a thorough cleaning when selling your home is time-consuming yet highly rewarding. Immaculate interiors instantly enhance buyer perceptions and maximise your sale price. Plan deep cleans both before viewings commence to excite interest, and again before completion day to satisfy buyer expectations. With a checklist approach and some professional assistance, you can make every room sparkle in preparation for new ownership. This small effort yields huge financial and emotional returns at completion.